Clothes-drier.



T. J. YATES 6: P R. PETERSON. CLOTHES DRIER.

'APPLIOA'I'ION TILED AUG. 18, L909. 972,590 l Patented Oct. 11, 191.0.

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UNITED STAWENT OFFICE.

THOMAS J. YATES AND PETER R. PETERSON, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

CLOTHES-DRIER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS J. YATES and PETER R. PETERSON, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Salt Lake City, in the county of SaltLake and State of Utah, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Glothes-Driers, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to improvements in clothes driers, and the leadingobject of our invention is the provision of a device of this characterwhich will when extended present a large drying surface, and which whennot in use can be quickly folded into very small compass.

Another object of this invention is the rovision of a cheap, durableclothes drier o the highest efficiency which can be manufactured at'solow a price as to be within the reach of all.

\Vith these and other objects in view, our invention consists in thenovel features of construction and combination and arrangement of partsfor service substantially as described and as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, which show a clothes drier constructed inaccordance with and embodying the principles of our invention.

Figure 1, is a side elevation of our drier in extended position. Fig. 2,is a similar view with the device closed or folded, and Fig. 3, is aview of the device as shown in Fig. 2, looking at the device from above.Fig. 4 represents a perspective view of the base of our device,illustrating the means for locking the rack in open position, the sidebars being broken away and the upper portion of the device removed topermit the base to be seen more clearly.

In the drawings: the numeral 1 designates the pivoted side members orrods which are pivoted together intermediate their length by the pins orbolts 2, while the ends of the various pairs of rods are pivotallyjoined by the pins 3, the whole forming a lazy tongs device. To connectthe two sets of side members and hold them in spaced relation, we employthe bars 4, having their ends bent at right angles to the body of thebar and secured in place by the pins 3, which pass through openings insaid angular ends.

At opposite points at intervals on the bars 4 are provided pairs ofopenings through which are passed the clothes supporting arms or rods 5,one of the rods 5 being se- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 18, 1909.

Patented Oct. 11, 1910. Serial No. 513,529.

cured in and the other having sliding engagement in the pair of openingsin each bar, the rods being suitably secured alternately in the oppositebars. The bars 4, at the lower end of the device are not provided withthese arms, but serve merely to brace the lower end thereof and thelocking and support-ing means. Said locking means comprises a long lever6 and a short lever 7 pivoted to the end of each of the bottom sidemembers, the free end of the short lever on one side rod being pivotedto the free end of the long lever on the other side rod.

From the foregoing description the c011- struction and operation of ourdevice will be readily understood. lVhen it is desired to use the drier,the device is raised, and as it is vertically extended, the lazy tongsmovement of the side members causes the bars 4 to approach each otherand the rods 5 slide through the openings therein and remain inhorizontal extended position, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 1. Atthe same time the levers 6, as the bars a approach, having the motion oftheir outer ends limited by connection with the levers 7, are forced tomove in an arc until they reach the position seen in Fig. 1, theirfurther movement being prevented by the contact of the inner lever oneach side with the lowest bars 4, and the weight of the device bearingagainst the lower ends of said levers, locks them and thus the device inextended position, thus providing a solid, firm base as will be readilyseen by reference to Fig. 1.

We claim:

1. In a clothes drier of the lazy tongs type, the combination with theside rods intermediately pivotally secured in pairs, the ends of eachpair being pivotally connected to the adjacent pair, there being asimilar set on each side of the device, of connections between themembers on opposite sides secured to the pivotal connections of theadjacent pairs of side members, said connections having openings formedtherein, and clothes supporting means passed through said openings andalternately secured to and having sliding engagement with saidconnections.

2. The combination with a pair of rods pivotally secured togetherintermediate their length a similar pair of rods spaced from said firstnamed pair, of means pivotally connected to the ends of the rods of onepair and to the ends of the rods of the other pair,

and clothes supporting means secured to certain connecting means andloosely supported by the others.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with thesides composed of spaced pairs of pivoted rods, a pair of links ofunequal length pivotally secured to the lower end of each of the rods,the long link of each pair having its free end pivotally secured to theshort link of the other pair on each side, and means connecting the rodsof one pair with the rods of the other pair, said means being adapted tocontact with a link of one pair on each side of the device whereby thedownward collapse of the other pair of links on each side of the deviceis prevented and a firm but foldable base is formed for both sides ofthe device.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of sidemembers, each of said members being composed of a pair ofintermedia-tely pivoted bars, of plates connecting the correspondingends of the bars of one side member with bars of the other side member,clothes supporting means secured to the top connecting plates saidsupports extending across the device when open, a pair of links ofunequal length pivotally secured to the lower end of each of the bars,the free end of the longer link being secured to the free end of theshorter link carried by the other bar of the side member, and one of thelonger links on each side being so disposed as to contact with one ofthe bottom plates to limit the movement of the links.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures, in presence of tWowitnesses.

THOMAS J. YATES. PETER R. PETERSON.

Witnesses J. LEO FAIRBANKS, W. B. PASSEY.

